Now that was an earthquake !

Some Noahs Ark stuff is coming soon. I had the wall of water dream so I know its real. My idea was large personal sized round wooden boats you get in secure the door and when the giant tsunami hits you just bounce around like a bobber on the water and after its over use the EPIRB to get help from the non-existant coast guard. Then you just connect to all the other smart people that bought the round bobbers and tie the wooden balls together and die of thirst looking for land.

Some future archaeologist would find the remnants of the wooden ball fleet and say these people committed mass suicide in some pagan festival inside wooden balls immitating the origins and the futility of life.

Earthquake was caused by man made global warming (sarcasm).

It is a very beautiful place where the quake hit. I hope the damage is not too severe and that people are OK.

I hope they keep the dinosaurs rounded up. Wouldn't want another Jurassic Park, mishap.

As his science project last year my son did a ten year earthquake mapping project.

Even I was surprised at the results. According to the ten-year global tables we made for the project:

2002: 44 total: 22 earthquakes globally under 5.9 magnitude, 22 earthquakes over 6.0

2003: 64 total: 28 earthquakes under 5.9 magnitude, 36 earthquakes over 6.0, one of them being a 'major earthquake' of over magnitude 8

2004: 47 total:12 earthquakes under 5.9 magnitude, 35 earthquakes over 6.0, two over a magnitude 8

2005: 46 total:13 earthquakes under magnitude 5.9, 33 earthquakes over 6.0, one over a magnitude 8

2006: 34 total:7 earthquakes under magnitude 5.9, 27 earthquakes over 6.0, two over a magnitude 8

2007: 55 total: 8 earthquakes under magnitude 5.9; 47 earthquakes over 6.0, four over a magnitude 8

2008: 58 total:11 earthquakes under magnitude 5.9, 47 earthquakes over 6.0

2009: 71 total:17 earthquakes under magnitude 5.9, 54 earthquakes over 6.0, one over a magnitude 8

2010: 67 total:17 earthquakes under magnitude 5.9, 50 earthquakes over 6.0, one over a magnitude 8

2011 (data incomplete, as the project was completed in May 2011): 6 earthquakes under 5.9 magnitude, 26 earthquakes over 6.0, one over a magnitude 8

2006 was the quietest year seismically, but over the last ten years the trend has been toward more large earthquakes and much fewer smaller ones. Right after 2004 the number of small earthquakes dropped very, very steeply (from 28 to 12) and the number of larger earthquakes over magnitude 6 rose extremely sharply between 2002 and 2009 (22 in 2002, 54 in 2009)

A quick look at the USGS just now revealed that thus far in 2012 globally we've had 7 earthquakes under magnitude 5.9, and 40 earthquakes over 6.0 (including this one) and two over a magnitude 8.

It's actually quite fascinating if one were to look only at the empirical statistics. However, when we're talking in terms of larger earthquakes costing more human lives, it's...troubling.

Looks like the earthquakes are becoming organized and ganging up

It's actually quite fascinating if one were to look only at the empirical statistics. However, when we're talking in terms of larger earthquakes costing more human lives, it's...troubling.

Your sons' data sets are incorrect as written. If he got the information from the USGS they only track certain magnitude earthquakes; they have differing benchmarks for domestic and international earthquake tracking.

So realistically you need a disclaimer stating this, as the list is not all encompassing for seismic activity.

Ophotfoot

Check the message boards bro. We're switching to plastic bubbles. You can actually carry them around with you; I'm in mine right now.

amanda

Your numbers seem a little low. I don't know if you have google earth on your computer. But it has an option for earthquakes. It shows California has had about 30 in the last week alone. Most (almost all) are very small ones. You should try it.

trust2112,

"I hope they keep the dinosaurs rounded up."

I wouldn't want to mess with the cowboy who can round up those dinosaurs! That would have to be one mean man.

For all interested the earthquakes globally for the last seven days:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/

Total for M.0 + 1717

I was in costa rica a decade back for a few months. That's where I first experienced an earthquake. 3-5 Richter level earthquakes are quite common there. The building would shake and people around me would just ask me to not worry because the buildings there are apparently earthquake resistant. However 7-8 richter earthquake is probably a couple of hundred or thousand times bigger than 5 richter.

Hope there is no loss of life.

William Bentley said:

Your sons' data sets are incorrect as written. If he got the information from the USGS they only track certain magnitude earthquakes; they have differing benchmarks for domestic and international earthquake tracking.

So realistically you need a disclaimer stating this, as the list is not all encompassing for seismic activity.

flnobody said;

Your numbers seem a little low. I don't know if you have google earth on your computer. But it has an option for earthquakes. It shows California has had about 30 in the last week alone. Most (almost all) are very small ones. You should try it.

William Bentley said;

Further, it appears even the USGS disagrees with your data. They track M2 and greater domestically and M4.5 greater internationally. Here are there data sets for earthquakes that meet the benchmark:

The data points only show 6+ greater here, but you can browse the archive for more.

Okay, for all of you complaining about the data:

I did mention that the project was completed in May of 2011, and there may have been changes to the website in that time, additional data that could have been added after more research, etc.

I did not mention (and I probably should have) is that my son was eight when he compiled the data. So you're looking at what an eight-year-old considered significant at the time and his data was enough to establish a trend. Also, the hypothesis for the project was 'Does Japan really have the most earthquakes?' and tracking trends was not part of the scope of the project--the goal was to count earthquakes in each particular region and see which region had the most

I posted a summary of the data here merely because, even with its limited scope, it does show a definite trend.

I'd give your son an F.

I am pleased he was, at eight years old, even interested enough in geological phenomena and earth sciences to want to do an entire research project on it. His career goal right now is to be a stormchaser and he has gotten straight A's in science every year.

He also did most of the research himself, and drew the graphs and tables that were ultimately used. He did not win the science fair that year (a sixth grader with a truly impressive volcano did) but the school did consider splitting science fair awards into physical projects and research projects categories for the years afterward, mostly because the younger grades (for whom science projects are voluntary and not mandatory) don't usually have the time and attention span to do extensive research. If the teacher 'failed' the project (refused to give him credit for the effort he put into it) it might dampen his enthusiasm to explore personal scientific research, and I would have gone to the school to complain. He worked for that extra credit and I was proud of him!!!

He didn't get a letter grade for the project because it was considered voluntary--but his teacher said she wished she could--instead he got the maximum credit for an extra-credit project, and she encouraged him to redo the project the first year Science projects are mandatory, and because of that encouragement we have continued to track and watch trends. Next year (6th grade) science projects are mandatory and he is looking forward to expanding on his research and presenting a more detailed project.

Crossing this one off my list of places to retire.........

@Amanda-2017567 I'm glad to see your son is interested in science, especially at such a young age. This is the internet, the home of the jerk-heads, and the unsociable troll. I wouldn't take what someone else says about your son's information to heart on an NBC message board. Some people think that by cutting someone else down, it will somehow make them look better. Or at least feel better about themselves for a brief time, until the next time they need to get their fix and cut someone else down. Its kind of funny. The things people get away with saying on these places. In the real world, most of what people say will get them a nice punch in the face. People are amusing.

Amanda, major kudos to your son for taking such an interest in the subject at 8 years old. Glad this William Bentley guy feels the need to bash elementary school students. What a d***.

Everyone go easy on Amanda. Her son did that research and she's proud of him. It's like when your kid brings you a f*cked up drawing of "you don't know what the hell it is" but you say it's pretty and put it up on the refrigerator. You don't want someone asking what the f*ck that is.

10 years on a geological scale isn't a trend, its a data point.

Waiting for the first person to say, "Here comes Jesus!"

William, that is true. But there are better ways of going about it. You could have contributed to the collapse of the comment due to its incorrect data. However, that's still no excuse for acting like an a**hat to an 8 year old.

Be safe Costa Rica.

Beautiful Girls.

Hi William, you do realize this is a comment posting board and not a place where people come for accurate scientific data? losen up a bit you sound like a real dick!

keep drilling and fracking they are getting rich wrecking our world

SeaBa
True. The whole thing about giving her son an F was uncalled for, and I apologize for that. However, my main ire with the post was a conclusion of some trend people might take to heart and further spread like a diseased pony in a pony show.

If you really want to start a good conspiracy theory you can tie the increase in earthquakes to the LHC super collider. Something along the lines of how the mini black holes are stressing the Earth's crust...

Hi William, you do realize this is a comment posting board and not a place where people come for accurate scientific data? losen up a bit you sound like a real dick!

Why is this story or posting board should be any less able to discuss accurate information is beyond me. Isn't that the point of news? To read a story and then discuss its ramifications or the greater scope of the argument (I.e. since it was brought up, trends in earthquake intensity or frequency); since it is a discussion board I feel that should be the norm.

even in your apoligy your still insulting an 8 year old calling his effort a diseased pony in pony show. Dude you are a real dooshbag.

even in your apoligy your still insulting an 8 year old calling his effort a diseased pony in pony show. Dude you are a real dooshbag.

Analytical skills aren't your strong suit are they? ;)

You shouldn't criticize someone (especially an 8 year old) for going to a reliable source for information (USGS) as opposed to a wiki search. If that source has the data wrong then there are much bigger problems than an 8 year olds science projects.

Kudos to him for having an interest is science.

Amanda,

I commend your son for his interest and his work. I also commend you for posting it. Life should be a learning experience and learning should be applauded. The degradation posted by some on this board just shows poor manners. To those who degrade, the grade of "f" is appropriate.

Funny said;

I'm glad to see your son is interested in science, especially at such a young age.

Me too. There isn't enough emphasis on science in his school. And we are in an inner-city school, and the emphasis is on just teaching the kids what they need to pass the standardized tests (and one of his classmates--fifth grade--was arrested yesterday for bringing drugs to school). And while a 'stormchaser' degree isn't a 'practical' degree, the skills he'd learn can be refocused to get him a job as a weatherman, weather Channel meteorologist, even NOAA or NASA or the military.

This is the internet, the home of the jerk-heads, and the unsociable troll. I wouldn't take what someone else says about your son's information to heart on an NBC message board.

When I put the original post, I neglected to mention his age or that it was a voluntary extra-credit project. Yes, if this were a project from a sixth-grader or higher, it would have been downgraded for content; as he was in fourth grade, the credit he got was more for effort and level of interest than quality of data.

William Bentley said:

You're making faulty assumptions based on incomplete and insignificant data to make the conclusion that there is a trend; while it could be argued that there is one, it is incorrect to do so from the data you presented. I would argue that is there is indeed no significant trend presented in the accurate data.

....should we allow rampant misinformation to go unchallenged even when presented with accurate data from the source it claims to cite.

There is a trend distinguishable in the data presented. While the data itself may be incomplete, if you were to go simply on what is presented here it shows a pattern of decreasing 'small magnitude earthquakes' that made the news on the USGS website in 5/2011 and an increasing number of 'higher-magnitude quakes that made the news' by 5/2011.

You could use incorrect data to show a trend in anything, hookers, dinosaurs, plastic pagan bubbles—it doesn't make it anymore real.

Absolutely, politicians do it all the time!!!

I recant my post about giving your son an F; it was a unneeded low blow.

Hey, I didn't specify that my son was eight. You couldn't have known till I told you.

However, there is no denying that the data presented is scientifically meaningless and can't prove anything—let alone a trend.

The project was never about a trend. The project was supposed to show how many earthquakes a specific region got as compared to how many earthquakes other regions got. It was only later that he said he thought he saw a trend--and this is coming from an eight year old, and you have to admit many posters on Newsvine have an eight year old's mentality, to judge by some remarks I've seen.

SeaBa said;

Amanda, major kudos to your son for taking such an interest in the subject at 8 years old.

That's what we (my hubby and I) thought when he said that was what he wanted to do for a project. That's also what his teacher thought.

Glad this William Bentley guy feels the need to bash elementary school students. What a d***.

Hey, go easy. When I put up the first post I didn't mention that my son was eight and this whole project was constructed from the viewpoint of an eight year old, and there was no way he would have known that before I told him.

William Bentley said:

Okay, we can all applaud his interest, but we can also realize his data is inaccurate and shouldn't be reposted in a discussion we try to draw claims of trends from.

The majority of people here are not concerned with how accurate (or inaccurate) the data is, and are certainly not interested in drawing any 'trends' from this 'discussion.' They will read that post, think "oh, how interesting...' and I guarantee you by tomorrow they will have forgotten it completely. I will lay odd that those who are TRULY interested in geological phenomena aren't posting comments here!

Funny said;

I'm glad to see your son is interested in science, especially at such a young age.

Me too. There isn't enough emphasis on science in his school. And we are in an inner-city school, and the emphasis is on just teaching the kids what they need to pass the standardized tests (and one of his classmates--fifth grade--was arrested yesterday for bringing drugs to school). And while a 'stormchaser' degree isn't a 'practical' degree, the skills he'd learn can be refocused to get him a job as a weatherman, weather Channel meteorologist, even NOAA or NASA or the military.

This is the internet, the home of the jerk-heads, and the unsociable troll. I wouldn't take what someone else says about your son's information to heart on an NBC message board.

When I put the original post, I neglected to mention his age or that it was a voluntary extra-credit project. Yes, if this were a project from a sixth-grader or higher, it would have been downgraded for content; as he was in fourth grade, the credit he got was more for effort and level of interest than quality of data.

William Bentley said:

You're making faulty assumptions based on incomplete and insignificant data to make the conclusion that there is a trend; while it could be argued that there is one, it is incorrect to do so from the data you presented. I would argue that is there is indeed no significant trend presented in the accurate data.

....should we allow rampant misinformation to go unchallenged even when presented with accurate data from the source it claims to cite.

There is a trend distinguishable in the data presented. While the data itself may be incomplete, if you were to go simply on what is presented here it shows a pattern of decreasing 'small magnitude earthquakes' that made the news on the USGS website in 5/2011 and an increasing number of 'higher-magnitude quakes that made the news' by 5/2011.

You could use incorrect data to show a trend in anything, hookers, dinosaurs, plastic pagan bubbles—it doesn't make it anymore real.

Absolutely, politicians do it all the time!!!

I recant my post about giving your son an F; it was a unneeded low blow.

Hey, I didn't specify that my son was eight. You couldn't have known till I told you.

However, there is no denying that the data presented is scientifically meaningless and can't prove anything—let alone a trend.

The project was never about a trend. The project was supposed to show how many earthquakes a specific region got as compared to how many earthquakes other regions got. It was only later that he said he thought he saw a trend--and this is coming from an eight year old, and you have to admit many posters on Newsvine have an eight year old's mentality, to judge by some remarks I've seen.

SeaBa said;

Amanda, major kudos to your son for taking such an interest in the subject at 8 years old.

That's what we (my hubby and I) thought when he said that was what he wanted to do for a project. That's also what his teacher thought.

Glad this William Bentley guy feels the need to bash elementary school students. What a d***.

Hey, go e

Amanda,

I commend your son for his interest and his work. I also commend you for posting it. Life should be a learning experience and learning should be applauded. The degradation posted by some on this board just shows poor manners. To those who degrade, the grade of "f" is appropriate.

It's not learning if it's factually incorrect. Whelp, at least I've learned a little bit about the general populace: post correct information, get lambasted, post incorrect information and draw incorrect conclusions from faceless eight year old, get Nobel Prize.

Anyway, glad your son is at least interested in it. Storm chasing sounds fun.

Hey Willy! Way to go A Hole! How many years it take you to get brave with the little ones?

My Favorite Place in Central America is about 60KM north of the epicenter .... Flamingo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica ...

I hope My friends are OK .... Their home sits about 200 feet above the Pacific on a cliff side.

Fighting amongst ourselves is just what the earthquakes want

myspellcheckerisbroken said:

Everyone go easy on Amanda. Her son did that research and she's proud of him.

Yep, sure am. My hubby--his father--never got past 8th grade (he's in his mid-40's now and disabled). I graduated high school but never got a chance to go to college (I'm in my mid 30's right now and working full and overtime to make ends meet.) I want better for my kids, and with the letter sent home yesterday from his teacher saying one of his fifth-grade classmates was arrested for bringing drugs to school) I'm darn well going to encourage whatever he's interested in. Same with my youngest son; although my youngest is autistic, he shows a lot of skill in taking things apart and a lot of interest in cars. ANYTHING to keep them away from the stuff in our neighborhood that drags kids down.

It's like when your kid brings you a f*cked up drawing of "you don't know what the hell it is" but you say it's pretty and put it up on the refrigerator.

That made me laugh--we have a lot of those refrigerator papers! The 'what' it is isn't as important as rewarding them for putting effort into something to accomplish a goal. Particularly with my youngest--just getting one page of homework done every night is a major accomplishment. i see a lot of comments on Newsvine about kids these days being 'slackers'. I will do everything I can to not raise slackers, to make both my kids realize that hard work has rewards,and there is no such thing as 'entitlement'. Work for what you want, you will appreciate it more.

It's not learning if it's factually incorrect. Whelp, at least I've learned a little bit about the general populace: post correct information, get lambasted, post incorrect information and draw incorrect conclusions from faceless eight year old, get Nobel Prize.

You have a point there, but did you notice how many posters actually did fact checking? Life is a learning experience and even partially inaccurate data can lead to great learning.

Obviously all the ones who saw it fit to collapse my comments are really concerned about the facts.

Everybody stop bashing William Bentley, okay? He didn't know my son was 8 until I told him. And he's right about the disclaimer, when I put up the original post I should have specified that this was an 8 year old's science project.

So, here goes;

The above post at 1.6 is not meant to be an accurate, factual depiction of recent geological events. this was a voluntary research project done by an 8 year old and is not meant to be indicative in any way, shape or form of any official geological trends. If interested please see the USGS website.

Thank you.

Haha thanks Amanda, but don't worry too much. : ) My feelings aren't easily hurt. Goodluck, and I wish your son success.

The pacific plate is shifting relative to South American, Asian and North American plates. It will be within the next five years that a major snap will occur along the San Andreas fault. I won't be moving to California any time soon.

Amanda, I'm curious, what region was your son looking at when he compiled his earthquake information? I'm not entirely convinced the data IS inaccurate, as William seems to be completely focused on worldwide data and you and your son are not. I would like to take a look at everything for myself, as this could be a pointless argument and it may very well be that NO ONE is wrong. Your regional data may be correct and William's global data may be correct.

William

I enjoyed all your comments and am disappointed that many did not. Learning is grabbing on to all the information and working it out for oneself. I just do not like disrespect and will call people out for it. Good luck and live in good health.

My kids have been to Costa Rica on trips organized by their Spanish teacher. It's an amazingly beautiful place (except for the crocodilians, which are merely cute). I hope the damage is slight and the injuries few.

Oh no! The Mayans were RIGHT!

COMommy said:

Amanda, I'm curious, what region was your son looking at when he compiled his earthquake information?

See here:

/earthquakes /eqinthenews /

Just take out spaces.

In May of 2011, I printed out the list of 'Earthquakes In the News' for each of the linked years, then gave them to my son. We took a map of the world, drew 'regions' in colored marker, then put same-colored paper cups in each region on the map. Then he picked colors for each magnitude and we spray painted dried beans in colors for those magnitudes, then he went down the list for each year dropping an appropriate colored bean for each earthquake into each cup color representative for each region. Then we counted how many beans each region had and how many of each color there were and came up with the answer to his hypothesis--no Japan doesn't have the most earthquakes, the US does, but the ones in the South Pacific (around the Ring of Fire in Japan) tend to be the highest magnitude. He put all of this in his five page report along with a brief explanation of what earthquakes were and why they happen (subduction, faults, etc.)

He was the one who rearranged all of the earthquakes by magnitude and drew graphs for each year organized by magnitude-- 3.9 and under, 4.0 to 4.9, 5.0 to 5.9, 6.0 to 6.9, 7.0 to 7.9. 8.0 to 8.9, 9.0 and up, then stuck this in a separate 2 pages in the back of his report. It was that graph that I was looking at when I typed the above post at 1.6--his teacher wanted an electronic copy of his report, so I took the report to work, scanned the pages, and sent to the teacher via email.

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2012/

The link for Amanda: each year's significant earthquakes are shown.

Thanks William Bentley!

I can't post links on here. Appreciate it. Yes, that's where I got the data for the project. I just printed it all out and let him go to town with it.

Although, now that I'm looking, I think the page for 2002 actually has more earthquakes listed on it than it did when I first printed out the pages...I wonder if we kept the printouts. Might go home and check. gonna print out the new lists and take them home so he can rework all the data he's been keeping.

(I'm at work right now..I'm a biometrics technician and today's been a slow day.)

Now, back on topic: condolences for the ones who died, and best wishes for a speedy recovery for those who were injured. Thank the Goddess it wasn't worse.

Here comes Jesus...am I first?

"plastic bubbles" - I thought that is want those who argue politics lived in.

Mother Nature is trying to make her own canal. If South America floats North and tilts a bit, we can just drive to Africa.

Last week it was El Salvador - will the next one be North or South...which way do they run? Earthquake - run out of the house, tornado run into the house, forest fire run out of the house, pack of wild dogs run into the house, tsunami - just run and don't stop....screw it, just take me now Jesus.

Amanda: OKAY, I went and looked; I was even counting right along, and realized that based on the lists the USGS provides, your son was absolutely correct (though they have altered them slightly since last May). The only thing that makes the data "wrong" for people like William is that there are incomplete lists for every year, which the USGS states at the top of the page. Just the same, it does not make your son's project inaccurate; it's just not as "complete" as it could be. And looking at the charts William provided a link for (which, by the way, are also incomplete, as they don't include low-magnitude quakes), your son's information is, in fact, backed up, at least for the magnitude 6 and higher quakes, which you can see overall have increased in the last couple of decades. For example, if you just count the number of magnitude 8 and higher quakes in the graphs William pointed out, then you can see the 80s only had 4 total, the 90s had 6, and the 2000s had 13. Then, if you look at the quakes between 6 and 6.9, you can plainly see that 2010 alone had 23 and 2011 had 19, the highest numbers of the single years given between 1980 and 2012. That's what your son's project demonstrated isn't it: an increase recently of powerful earthquakes? He was right. So, the bottom line is, the information you used and the information William uses are still pointing to the same thing. The argument is pointless. I love the way you worked on his project with him, by the way; it sounds like you made it a lot of fun!

Oh! And if this is the sort of thing your son is interested in, you should tell him to look up and research the 1556 earthquake in the Shaanxi province of China, which wasn't of the highest magnitude, but is the most catastrophic in history, as it killed about 830,000 people. I did a research project on it and earthquake activity records (right along the line of what we are discussing) for a science class in college. It's fascinating and sad at the same time.

COmommy,

To avoid another fighting match I will simply state why you're wrong:

1. The list of data in Amanda's post is significant earthquake data--or what the USGS considers signification in the terms the human impact and other factors.
2. The first link I posted was the summary for the years for all earthquake data over M6.
3 The next link I posted provides those who actually look at it the last 7 days (or time groups) of earthquake data with a complete list of M0+ quakes: 1717 at the time I looked in the morning; with a majority of those occurring in California.
4. Simply counting data points doesn't work, the only real statistical deviation in the tables I posted is one year with 4 large quakes; which upon further investigation if you even care, isn't even a statistical deviation when accounting for other years and factors.

Therefore, we can draw the conclusion that no real trend exists, we aren't seeing anything unprecedented, or even that larger quakes equal more death or destruction in human terms.

Well, one good thing about all the back and forth due to William and Amanda's comments is that I don't think there has been this much conversation about earthquakes. That's not a bad thing.

Kudos to COmommy on the 1556 earthquake in China. I study a lot of history and I had no idea of the death toll from that. Will research more.

CO Mommy:

Thank you!

I'm going to check out the links William Bentley is using as well as updating our own earthquake lists based on that website. I realize the USGS source we used was somewhat limited in that it listed only what was 'in the news' and there are probably MANY others that didn't get recorded, but those lists were the most easily-readable where earthquake magnitudes could be identified 'at a glance' so it could be counted.

I figured it was mostly complete, and this was something the teacher apparently understood as my son took the printouts we'd been working from so his science teacher could count the quakes and verify his data herself by looking at the website printed on the pages (he had to cite all of his sources.) Practically everybody at his school thought it was a 'cool' project, and that was why he got an honorable mention ribbon in the fair when usually voluntary projects are credited only for effort. But he was really enthusiastic about it, and his handwriting, which I've been getting on him about ("Mom, we have computers nowadays and I don't need good handwriting, I can type whatever I want!") got a lot better while he was working on the report for this project.

Mark, don't cross Costa Rica off your list. It is a beautiful country with some very nice folks living in it. My thoughts are with my friends there!

Thanks spellchecker, I love pretty much all things history. :)

William, I'm not sure what exactly you mean by telling me I'm wrong because my response to your numbered points are as follows: 1. Yes I know. 2. Yes I know. 3. Yes I know. 4. Yes I know; I counted everything by their decades instead, as a combination of years can illustrate more than one year does as an anomaly. So, bottom line is I respect what you say and definitely care, and basically don't even disagree with you except for the "no trend" part. I discovered a lot "upon further investigation" and learned that there actually is a trend. If you go back and write by year, location, and size every single 6.0 and over quake recorded (painstaking but worth it), you'll see that every few decades or so, there is a cluster of large-scale earthquakes that occur in a few concentrated regions for a few years and then they go dormant (save for one here and there) - so to speak - until a few more decades pass. You're right that it isn't unprecedented; it's actually more like a cycle. Just unpredictable as to exactly where and when the huge ones happen. And obviously I don't think they're necessarily more deadly either.

Amanda, you're welcome! I can tell your son did a GREAT job, and for his age that kind of time and effort is hard to come by. I hope he sticks with it! Don't be too worried about the handwriting... he is a boy after all, and males aren't exactly known for their handwriting! ;)

Wow! THE DEMOCRATS ARE PARTYING AT THEIR NATIONAL CONVENTION WHILE BROWN PEOPLE ARE DROWNING!!

Note – This is sarcasm directed at the Democrat commentators (and their ilk) who were caught talking on a hot microphone at the Republican National Convention during Hurricane Isaac. They actually said, "The Republicans are partying at their National Convention while brown people are drowning." The Democrat commentators made that asinine comment about the Republicans in a mocking attempt to cast Republicans in a bad light. I realize that natural disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, are beyond anybody’s control and have no connection whatsoever to politics. Believe me, I get that!

But if the Democrats needed to politicize Hurricane Isaac in order to somehow cast Republicans in a bad light, then why can’t I politicize an earthquake – even if it’s in Costa Rica - to cast Democrats in a bad light? In other words, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” (unless you advocate a double standard)

We just got back from 5+ months in Nicoya Peninsula about 2 weeks ago - fortunately missing the quake, but in checking with friends there, it seems that people are generally OK, but there is lots of structural damage to buildings.

Mr Bentley- why the rudeness? Run along now.

Ms. Srich,

Why the idiotic post? Why the sentence fragments? Why can't you muster enough intelligence to post something that—at the very least—has substance to it?

It is not my problem that you and your ilk can't handle frank conversation; run along then Ms. Srich, back to your bubble.

....how about Costa Rica's reaction for their own country.....it's not America's problem, sabe?.....

Why does the US always have to jump in and be the ones to deal with all the natural disasters? I am pretty sure we have our own that need to be taken care of first.

Brilliant nycguy.. cold and selfish much? The fact of the matter is that alot of Americans visit this part of Costa Rica. So it could mean saving american lives if aid is sent. Not that an American life is worth more than a Costa Ricans. Ive been all over the world.. Ive seen every state in the Contiguous United States many times and I still say Costa Rica is the most beautiful place ive ever been.

Yeah, like the illegal alien invasion! LOL!

People here are fine. Other than structural damage, things are ok. We are used to earthquakes. No one is asking ANYONE to come help us pick up things from the floor, you know?

Stacie are you under the impression that the United States is the only nation on the planet the gives aid to other countries? Wasnt there a time when Americans took pride in giving aid? What the F happened to this country? If we can spend money bringing bullets to other nations we can also spend (much less money) bringing bread. Oh and by the way Costa Rica does not need our aid.. They are quite capable of dealing with their own problems. Does that mean we should not help? No it doesnt.

So yeah... when I left this post there was one line in the story saying there was an earthquake on the Caribbean side of the country and there might be a tidal wave. I just made the comment thinking about possible US coastal areas that might get hit.

Nice to see how much we care about our neighbor countries though :-P

I thin the word you're looking for, nycguy, is "savvy".

Ian....no, not cold and selfish....but also, not stupid and clueless......

Custom1911, sabe = Spanish for "to know"

To Stacie and the nyc cynic. This is a tragedy. Can you please leave your callous hillbilly comments until we know if there will be a killer tsunami? I have dozens of friends and loved ones on the coast of Costa Rica and your comments make me sick to my stomach.

Ya nyc guy your not stupid like me right? Just Ignorant. Have you ever left New York? We know the answer to that. If you had.. you would realize that you aint so special. Maybe if you wanted to get a clue.. like you say.. you could venture out of your back yard every now and then.

To hell with them. America first, everyone else last. You can donate if you want but I fail to see the reason for us to step in YET AGAIN & blow a bunch of money that WE DON'T HAVE. America is BROKE or have you forgotten??? Let China throw money at the problem.

Informed,

Brilliant. Let China throw money at the problem. Your words are idiotic. China is beating us at winning the hearts and minds of the emerging countries. You think it is wise to suggest that we let China become the new world power at an even faster rate than they are?

Do you understand the value of winning the emerging countries as trading partners?

Also, where did you bury your heart?

Do they have libraries in Kentucky or whatever bumfck place you live?

China arleady IS the new superpower... they OWN America now. Did you not see the trillions we owe them? And it's only growing bigger everyday. And these trading partners you speak of, does that just entail sending our jobs over to them because they'll do it for less? Don't think we need anymore of that. I'm sure that sending a bunch of non existent money over to someplace that had a natural disaster would have definitely swayed a country's decisions to import tampons from us instead of china cause it's not like they would have looked at our credit rating or anything smart like that. Maybe we should start investing in such great places like Greece & build a stronger relationship with them. Oh well, I don't expect you to understand seeing as how you think it's ok to give away something that you don't even have to begin with.

So well Informed? If you think we have no money to use in charitable causes overseas.. do you also think we have no money to use in military occupation overseas? Probably not right? You want to balance the budget but still build F-22's? Am i right. Sounds informed to me. Oh and the difference in cost between feeding one hundred and fifty thousand troops for 10 years as well as the creation, deployment, maintenance and development of weapons is not a problem i suppose when compared to sending a couple of hundred soldiers for a week with one boat load of first aid and water to a country that has just experienced a natural disaster. Aid is clearly what made the USA bankrupt right? It wasnt the banks and it wasnt baby bush playing in the sand. Where were you posting on other sites about how we need to pull out of Iraq or risk going bankrupt. Where were you posting about how we need more banking regulations? Oh ya you didnt do that. Anyway i originally checked this article because i had such good experiences in Costa Rica and was amazed by the lack of envy, and peaceful nature of the Costa Rican people.. but i noticed messages from people that have no business on this page. Why check this out "informed" if you dont care about Costa Rica? I dont go trolling on pages that i care nothing about. Why do you? I say again, the Costa Ricans have this under control, but im sure there are a few american tourists that wouldnt mind USA involvement.

Informed, I think they are playing reruns of Gunsmoke tonight. Grab your popcorn! No worries that you are completely out of touch with facts beyond Fox news.

Aside from the simple fact that we can and we should help others in trouble, having friends around the world, and helping keep stable democracies around the world, has all kinds of tangible benefits for us. Can you say "Marshall Plan?"

Sending good thoughts to the people in that area

lets send em the no papers / no fears bus instead

nope not the sky one anyway..but does Poseidon have an alibi?...................:)

Godzilla vacationing in the tropics?

Rush Limbaugh and Michael Moore were having a belly flop contest off the shore

tsunamis aren't exactly predictable, much like a tornado. Scientists warn us that the circumstances are such that there could be one, be on the alert.

Yeah, guess you'd rather they just not mention that it's definitely possible after a quake like this and just let everyone drown. Would you be happy then? Ask Japan and Haiti if they would rather not be warned...

excactly it is a warning, they are not saying one is going to happen, just that conditions are present for one to happen.

Tsunamis are the "rage?" There has to be a warning system, after all, seismic activity produces tsunamis.

@DadinAz, with your excellent reasoning skills, you must think that a redlight at a cross street is just an inconvenience rather than a safety device that keeps you from getting injured or killed.

When sending a warning when we know a tsunami is occurring cuts the warning time in half or more vs warning as soon as a sufficient earthquake to generate a tsunami occurs but not knowing for sure... I'd rather have that extra warning.

It isn't a "rage". A tsunami is always a possibility with this type of seismic event. It's better that people are aware of the possibility and are prepared than not. Just think about what happened in SE Asia the last couple times that a tsunami did manifest.

Blah, blah, blah.......... Send warnings to the Carribean as the headline said. Right. Good thing the Carribiean was warned. Joke and you folks don't seem to get it. Figures.

Dadinaz.... Not very smart are you???? There is a reason there are warning systems. Just like there are warning systems for tornados. Without these warning systems there would be a @!$%#load of casualties.

So think before you type...

@DADINAZ.... And the Darwin award goes to.......... YOU!!!!!!!!

I would like to post a Republican Warning! Another thing that never happened, at least not on the Republican watch ( according to the GOP )

Ha ha ha Kristopher!!!!! You on the otherhand are proof that butt babies are real. Ha ha ha!!!!

Tsunami canceled...... guess I was right. Losers!

If you are truly a Dad, I feel sorry for your children. If one warns the other not to run into the road and it turns out no car was coming that time, do you call the responsible child who was trying to keep the other safe a loser? Wow. Guess you are a real charmer yourself in real life, or maybe you only call people names on the internet.

DadInAZ You are the loser, next time some one warns you that you are in imminent danger, please ignore them, we will all be sorry, but relieved as well.

You all are losers!!! Hilarious! What a bunch of saps......

...no read a comic book instead.....slightly more based on facts.

When I was a child, the world was ending. When I was a teen, the world was ending. When I was a young mother, when my children left the nest, and once again, the world is ending. The Bible says only God knows when the world will end. If you are living a proper life, why worry about it?

Hey Cat MO, your getting up there. The world will be ending soon, at least for you.

BAWAWAWAHHHHHHH

thanks Tranquil..i needed that today....you may have a cookie................:)

Don't worry, Matthew Chapter 24 says that only the vegans need to be afraid that the world is ending, everybody else can relax, smoke a fattie and wish our friends in CR well. As for the vegans, good luck in your new world!

Oddly enough, the bulging spider veins in a goats anus say the same thing! Coincidence? I think not!

Right you are KDFman, but either of us could get hit by a car while walking in a parking lot. LIke I said, why worry?

Oddly enough, the bulging spider veins in a goats anus say the same thing! Coincidence? I think not!

Hey, I could have directed you to the sphincter script of a camel, a platypus, a german shepherd or a vegas pole dancer. But, no, unlike these fatuous trolls I like my sources to be credible and relevant.

the world is ending. read matthew chapter 24

Incorrect. In Matthew 24 it says that the end will not yet come, meaning we will have many more years. But in Luke 21 which is repeating Matthew 24 but worded differently it says in 21:20 that the holy city (jerusalem) will be surrounded by armies which may in fact happen soon due to what is happening over there at the moment.

The World ends for people on earth every day. Due to old age, disease, etc.... Only God knows when it will end for us all.

Tranquil - I find it oddly amusing that you are such an authority on sphincters...what comes out from your post is indeed a lot of crap

So Luke was a plagiarist...when you are making up stuff...make up new stuff!

I am in Nicaragua---right on the coast.

I don't know what's wrong with me, because everybody else in the house felt it and I didn't notice a thing.

Apparently, all the water sloshed out of the pool--but I can tell you that I was very surprised to hear that they tagged it at 7.9.

It was deep nicachica, so some places may not have felt it so much. But beware of the tsunami. Stay safe.

Granted, I hope all the people are alright, but I sure hope the sloth sanctuary is safe too.

what did you read 'back then' I remember some from the 50's and even the 40's

I could read before kindegarten :)

troy

Didn't tsunamis exist in the 70's, 80's and 90's too? How come we never heard about them back then?

Maybe the internet? Now days, someone farts and you read about it.

Because the connection between earthquakes and 'tidal waves' hadn't reached into the mass awareness as much. It was really the tsunami of '04 that broke through into popular culture; now they're all getting a piece of the action.

Troy, one word...technology.

I'm not sure when I first heard the word 'tsunami'..........I was a kid in the 1960s, and remember them being called 'tidal waves'. I don't think I was really paying much attention to all that sort of stuff back then, but it seems like the pace is picking up.

Not only do we have the internet now. We have millions of reporters that jump at any story they can find. More often than not we get way too much news. This campaign is living prooof of it.

Back in the early 60's a tsunami took out the town of Seaside in Oregon. The quake that triggered the tsunami came from the Cascadia fault that's about 50nm off the coast of Oregon. The disaster will be repeated on a larger scale in just a matter of time.

Tsunami's are not somthing that are new. Alaska had one on 1946, 1957, and in 1964. Look back into history and I am sure you will find quite a few. We just hear about them more now due to the internet.

nope they didnt excist they are a creation of that evil,............( place name here)........:)

No, the were just invented. The new one is called the iTsunami

because back then they incorrectly called them "tidal waves". Also, we have better and faster communications now.

Troy from Omaha

Didn't tsunamis exist in the 70's, 80's and 90's too? How come we never heard about them back then?

Only three network TV stations and local newspapers.

Way back in the days I think they just called them tidal waves rather then todays current name "tsunami".

Troy from Omaha

Didn't tsunamis exist in the 70's, 80's and 90's too? How come we never heard about them back then?

Because you didn't pay any attention.

Actually the word Tsunami was used as far back as 426 BC by Thucydides in his book "The History of the Peloponnesian War", and has existed in the Japanese lexicon for at least that long.

...and has existed in the Japanese lexicon for at least that long.

I'm certain that there has been a word for it as long as the ancestors of the Japanese have lived on that archipelago.

Do you have a wooden leg? Because if you do that is hilarious.

I don't know a sole any where near there, but I hope they are hunky dory.

any halibuts, sorry could not resist :)

@sun... yes,but now their just floundering around!

Sunlitensmiles,

Aren't you a real Snapper :)

this is giving me a Haddock...

Sorry, everyone in Samara perished.

You people have no Sole

Save your SOLES...

...walk on your heels!

All pretty funny (#12) comments. Except for JB (12.6)... what makes you think that was even a little bit amusing? One sick puppy!

That means Obama will only have 10 days left...just have to make it unit then and we will be alright.

AGAIN ?

how very true, 12/21/2012 is coming !!!!!!

don't worry tho, i know where there is a giant hidden spaceship that's going to fly some of us out so all you have to do is...send me all your stuff and i will make sure you get on board

Earlier this year scientists digging in old Mesoamerican temple ruins found another stone tablet set up in the exact same way as the one we currently consider the Mayan calendar, but this one seems to pick up where the current one leaves off and indicates the world will continue to exist for another 5,000 years.

The current stone tablet we consider the 'Mayan Calendar' indicates one time period (baktun) of roughly 7,000 years, estimated to end sometime between 12/21/12 this year and (I think) 5/13/2013 (given the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar.) The new tablet outlines yet another baktun, this time of roughly 5,000 years by current reckoning.

Amanda

Is that cow white with black spots or black with white spots? I like my steak medium rare, please.

Dang, and I just finished all my Christmas shopping. :(

Does this mean that the traitor that gave away $13,000,000,000,000 won't get a chance to spend more money we can't pay back?

You seem to love fire.

I vote for California to be the next to drop into the ocean. Nancy Pelosi can ride shotgun.

I vote for California to be the next to drop into the ocean. Nancy Pelosi can ride shotgun.

1.2 million projected dead or missing from an 8.0 quake sustained for greater than 7 minutes. You are a credit to your species, whatever that may be.

Detroit.... you keep those numbers and see what the real numbers are. You're like the rest of the fear mongars...... Scream before you have the facts.... My species is human unlike your kind. Whatever that may be............ 1.2 millien dead or missing. You're joke.

Aww. isn't that cute? He thinks he's human...Those are projected numbers from a California Earthquake on the NorthRidge Fault. I hope I can keep those numbers, and we will never have to find out. Meanwhile, you hope for the death of innocent people because you don't like the political agenda. Human? Just barely. More associated with the likes of pond scum.

I'm thinking he's more of a sea sludge. The foamy stuff. But I could be wrong, as I don't know my ooze that well. Could be pond scum indeed.

TFNJ..... I could be that stuff oozing out of your mouth.

You know, you try giving Sea Foam more rights and they take it too far. Impersonating a Human, the nerve. We're going to have to place this one under a microscope to see what went wrong.

Do you think you can fit under a microscope? I doubt it. Although you don't know your ooze very well, I'm sure the two of you are better acquainted than you say.

Turns out there was a tsunami watch for the Carabean for a total of 3 minutes. The cancellation notice says this:

" THE TSUNAMI WATCH FOR THE CARIBBEAN IS CANCELLED BECAUSE IT WAS
MEANT FOR THE PACIFIC AND WAS INADVERTANTLY SENT TO THE CARIBBEAN
BY MISTAKE. WE APOLOGIZE FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THIS MAY HAVE
CAUSED."

Still, MSN should update the breaking news banner.

Exactly!! The Caribbean is on the Atlantic side not Pacific. Costa Rica is Central America with east coast towards the Caribbean and west coast to the Pacific. MSN really needs to pay attention who they hire to write for them.

Good thing these guys aren't doctors, would hate to go in for an appendectomy and get my spleen removed by mistake.

MSN

Make-up Stories Now

keep hopeing........................:)

...or, ...just keep HOPING

Denver Bill, you probably didn't hear about tsunamis in the past because you weren't listening. In 1960 a tsunami pretty much destroyed Hilo, Hawaii, killing people and wiping out the town. It was the result of an earthquake centered near Valdivia, Chile. There have been various other tsunamis along the Pacific coast over the years.

My home town of Christchurch, New Zealand was hit by a 7 magnitude at around 6.5 miles deep (10km) on Sept 4 2010. Nobody died in that quake, but they did in the subsequent one that hit 6 months later, which was of a smaller magnitude, but deemed to be worse. It depends on the building quality, the depth. Both major quakes in my home town were much shallower. There are many factors to consider, including the status of the ground, resonance impact etc. I hope that nothing bad comes of this and that this was the big one for Costa Rica and that there is no tsunami, no possibility of liquefaction which could further destabilize an area. There are bound to be after shocks, but hopefully none as big as this.

nope, he cant be bothered with such trivial things, he will just have Hillary, Pelosi and their coven handle it.........:)

Jack 467967......Just like President Bush did during Katrina, yea, he was a real stand up guy, pht!

cak

Just wondering. If you had to deal with 911 and the worst Hurricane disaster in the US ever how would you fare. Yeah, you would probably be in a white room drooling on your self. Not to worry though Obama would be in the bed next to you.

just what the hell is Obama supposed to do about it? have mitt remove his money from costa rica banks?

Costa Rica, no army, this should be an easy invasion for the Noble Peace Prize winner...

maybe the quake and tsunami will remove Mitt's money from Costa Rica banks..hint, hint,hint

The residents of Costa Rica NEED your sincere prayers people. Please PRAY for them. They don't need your jokes and throwing politics into the mix. If your momma died in a earthquake would you still make a joke about it?? NOT FUNNY PEOPLE!!

Yank

You will not like my answer but here goes:

For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will
be famines and earthquakes in various places: Matthew 4:27

And that prediction was 2000 years ago BTW

Earth happens! Why would you need someone to tell you why? They found the remains of trees in Antarctica. As molten iron circulates near the earths core magnetic fields migrate effecting the earths magnetic poles, this has happened hundreds of times. The earth is not frozen in time, it is changing all the time. Remember back in the day, it was like it was just like last week when there was only one land mass on earth. I am a dumb old sailor, I went to high school, sorta. I have the internet, I even got to the end of the information highway, and came back a different way.

Actually there are not increasing, but some poster will blame it on HARRP. And there have wars and earthquakes for the last 2,000 years.

Geologists speculate that the earth is in the process of shifting its magnetic poles (it apparently has done this several times in geologic history, it basically means today's compasses won't point north anymore, they'll point due south.)

At the same time, the sun is reaching a peak of solar flare activity (called solar maximum) that will culminate around 5/2013.

the earth is set to shift a little, after this december ( the end of the mayan calender) the earths magnetic north will now be TRUE north. as little as this shift may be it will cause problems in many places. BTW the mayan calender was constructed to tedll us when this shift will happen. but fear mongerers will do their best to play it up more than it has to be.

I wonder if we should send all people through real education, instead of living a dream, and guessing which of the 10,000 religions in NY state alone will be the winner!--You better hope I have actually designed your computer chips according to facts in Chemistry, and Calculations, or hope I have designed/tested your meds so they actually have the correct molecules for your cure, instead of religion and stupid raising your hands with healing power--especially in US, when you have problem with understanding reality!!

The message of the Cross is foolishness to those that are perishing. Bung, hope your evening is blessed.

The earth will keep changing as it has for millions of years. One day we will just be eliminated by some great change like a massive earthquake with world wide walls of water that will wash us all into some sea or or at least flush us all.

Then some survivor will crall out of the muck or evolve from our muck...and start a new religion to keep all the new little "muckers" in line. They will get some local hero who died and then write a book about it. Then they will start killing each other out of love for the book. Please send that meteor!

It's the earth shaking knowing he's getting the Dem nomination.

Yeah, but he inherited it from George Bush

The danger is passed. People (a few) are dead, many more have injuries, most are just fine. I am willing to bet more people die from auto accidents, old age, or any of several other ways than from the earthquake in C.R. today. I HOPE your message brings about CHANGE. Either way Costa Rica is moving FORWARD.